SERIOUS:(L to R) Dr Esau Chiviya, Secretary General of SADC PF; Mr. Patrick Pillay, Speaker of the National Assembly of Seychelles; the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr. Danny Faure; SADC PF President Fernando Da Piedade Dos Santos, MP, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly of Angola; Malawian lawmaker Dr Jessie Kabwila who is also the Chairperson of the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus; and Rt. Hon. Speaker of Malawi Richard Msowoya at the official opening of the 41st Plenary Assembly Session of SADC PF in Mahe, Seychelles.

Delegates to the Women’s Parliament pose for a group photograph with

(seated left to right) Hon Monica Mutsvangwa; Vice President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, Seychelles National Assembly Speaker Patrick Pillay; Former Namibian President Hefikepunye Pohamba; President of Seychelles, Mr Danny Faure; former Ugandan Deputy President Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe; Former South African President Kgalema Mothlante; Dr Jessie Kabwila, the Chair of the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus; and Dr. Easu Chiviya.

The SRHR, HIV/AIDS and Governance Programme aims to strengthen the capacity of the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Regional and National Parliaments to advocate for, and influence national responses to, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV and AIDS Governance in the SADC Region. The underlying aim is to realise the longterm vision of equitable universal access to SRH and related rights (SRHR) and HIV and AIDS services, including improved health and respect for human rights enjoyed by women and girls in SADC. In so doing, the programme will support the realisation of Regional and global commitments, including Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 – ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all at all ages, SDG 4 – ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning and SDG 5 – achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.

One of the 17 SDGs is to ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages by 2030’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3). Critical to realising this – and one of the SDG indicators under this goal – is to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including family planning, information and education, and integrating reproductive health into national strategies and programmes. At present, there is a massive global shortfall in spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), one that is concentrated in Africa, which accounts for 71% of the increase in spending needed to fully satisfy all unmet needs for sexual and reproductive healthcare.1 The Abuja Declaration (2001) was an historic milestone, as leaders of African nations jointly declared, for the first time, that the continent’s HIV and AIDS epidemic was a full-fledged emergency. In response, signatories of the Abuja Declaration pledged to allocate at least 15% of their national budgets to public health by 2015. However, by 2013, only two SADC countries (Malawi and Zambia) had achieved this commitment, with Lesotho and Swaziland close behind.

Universal access to SRHR is integral to promoting sustainable and equitable economic, political and social development and to achieving all shared development goals, including the SADC vision and SDGs. Full access to SRHR promotes improved health, education, alleviates poverty and reduces the prevalence of HIV and STIs, unplanned pregnancies and GBV.

One of the 17 SDGs is to ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages by 2030’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3). Critical to realising this – and one of the SDG indicators under this goal – is to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including family planning, information and education, and integrating reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.

At present, there is a massive global shortfall in spending on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), one that is concentrated in Africa, which accounts for 71% of the increase in spending needed to fully satisfy all unmet needs for sexual and reproductive healthcare.1 The Abuja Declaration (2001) was an historic milestone, as leaders of African nations jointly declared, for the first time, that the continent’s HIV and AIDS epidemic was a full-fledged emergency. In response, signatories of the Abuja Declaration pledged to allocate at least 15% of their national budgets to public health by 2015. However, by 2013, only two SADC countries (Malawi and Zambia) had achieved this commitment, with Lesotho and Swaziland close behind.